George II style silver mustard drum

Drum-shaped sterling silver mustard pot in a classic George II style, featuring a slightly domed lid and pretty openwork scroll thumbpiece. It has a cobalt blue glass liner to protect the silver interior from the mustard.

Mustard has been a popular condiment since medieval times and grand houses would appoint their very own mustarder, whose solely responsibility was to make sure the household mustard was always topped up. In those days mustard was used in dry powder form.

With growing popularity in the 18th century, mustard was produced in wet form and the desire for a specific container to serve it at the table. This spawned a variety of styles and designs, some of them in novelty forms.